Monday, January 3, 2011

Week 1 - The Blues

Today I'm starting my 52 week challenge. In case you didn't peek at my initial post I joined a challenge on Etsy to create at least one new piece every week. That's not necessarily a difficult feat for a jewelry maker since some pieces are very quickly made and others take a little longer. Some seasons are also easier to produce in like around holidays (especially gifting holidays). It becomes harder during the down times like the summer to keep producing every week but I am up for the challenge!

I've been in a blue mood lately with the winter weather. So I went out to the craft stores today to try to find something blue to inspire my creativity. I spent way longer than I anticipated but I found a beautiful strand of blue lace agate sticks (above) to work with. Now I usually don't use "stick" beads because I never know what to do with them and I still don't but thus the challenge! I've got the next six days to make something lovely so check back for the finished creation!

I've also been thinking about making a necklace with these gorgeous natural non-dyed aquamarine graduated beads I bought early last year when I was first getting started making jewelry. They were quite an investment but they were beautiful and they're my birthstone. I have some earrings in my shop that I used a few of the stones in but most still sit unused. I know when I complete the necklace I probably won't want to sell it but you will definitely see it in the shop when it's done.